This article was updated at 1100 KST on Wednesday to include more comments from Vladimir Baranov, Director General of InvestStroiTrest.

A cruise route connecting Vladivostok and the North Korean port of Rajin has reportedly been halted due to a local legal dispute, the Russian operator of the Mangyongbong ferry line told NK News on Tuesday.

“Our company was forced to suspend regular routes between Vladivostok and Rajin, due to illegal actions of a private Russian company,” Vladimir Baranov, Director General of InvestStroiTrest, said in an email.

Despite reports suggesting the service halt was due